


Better This Way

by LMX



Series: Comment Fic [10]
Category: Leverage, The Losers (2010)
Genre: M/M, Military Background, Military deserter, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 20:30:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13015551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMX/pseuds/LMX
Summary: I'm glad it turned out like this, it's better this way





	Better This Way

**Author's Note:**

> [Commentfic](http://lmx-v3point3.livejournal.com/35429.html) for indigominstrels. Backing up from LJ

Jensen knew the Losers - or rather the misfit bunch of one-misdemeanour-away-from-court-martialed last-chancers that Colonel Clay got roped with because he was the only one who could handle them - was a fairly fluid bunch.

Part of the reason for that was that the standard Loser (the best and brightest and most-difficult-to-control) was not exactly someone who worried about grey hair and pensions. The other part was that some people really were psychopaths and on the road to court martial for a little bit more than disrespect for the chain of command.

Roque had been under Colonel Clay's command the longest, but only because Cougar had been reassigned to a unit outside of Special Ops for a couple of years in the middle of his service, until they realised he really was a Loser after all and sent him back to Clay.

When Jensen had been assigned to the team they'd all been pretty comfortable with each other, and they'd all perfected the casual disrespect for the chain of command that had made them Losers in the first place. Fortunately, Jensen got along well with everyone he met, and he had the disrespect thing down pat, so he had fit right in.

Jensen did, however, get bored easily. It didn't take a genius to work that one out, and technically he was one, so even if it did… he could have worked it out. Which had tangentially led on to Eliot Spencer.

Eliot Spencer had once been a Loser, before Roque, and long before Pooch, but during Cougar's first stint with Clay. He had a file that made him sound a lot like Roque; full of how well they'd trained him to kill, blow the shit out of things and stay alive, and followed with reports containing long blacked out and censored phrases that always ended just before a line like "using only a teaspoon" or "with a size twelve boot".

He was also reported as KIA, which didn't explain why, when Jensen had been trying to find photos of a younger Cougar (photos of the man magically disappeared, even his file only had a recent photo in it) by using Eliot Spencer's face (because if they'd worked together there was a chance they'd been caught on camera together), he got a recent hit. Very recent. As in, in the last twenty four hours.

The mystery wasn't really his face appearing in Massachusetts, nine years after his supposed death. It was Cougar's reaction to the search result popping up on Jensen's laptop screen.

Namely his almost tripping over the power cable to get up close to the screen, fisting a hand in Jensen's T-shirt, graceless like he never was as he leant over Jensen's shoulder. Jabbing one finger at the screen he asked only, "When?"

"Today. Well, yesterday now. In Boston." He frowned up at Cougar, who wasn't paying any attention to him.

"He grew his hair long." It was more words than Jensen had heard out of Cougar in weeks and it wasn't even really aimed at him. Jensen was officially jealous.

Jensen had just about convinced himself that his jealousy over a supposed KIA Army deserter was misplaced a week later when they finally got leave and Cougar dragged him into a bar in Boston with a 'Closed' sign on the door. 

Before Jensen had spotted Spencer, Cougar was off, near sprinting the three steps to the booth were a long haired guy that looked just like his security camera picture was standing up to face them. Cougar launched himself through the air and got a few good hits in before the guy started fighting back and they were both on the floor. Jensen considered stepping in, but it looked like Cougar had needed this for a while. From the fluently obscene Spanish that was flying back and forth in between blows, they were both getting a fair amount off their chests.

"When Eliot said reunion," a well built Black guy who Jensen had registered as the only other patron of the bar in his first glance had stepped up alongside him and was watching the chaos unfold as the two scrabbled around on the ground, fighting dirty and ploughing into tables and chairs. Jensen was beginning to see why they'd organised this meeting for after hours. "This wasn't exactly..." the guy trailed off again.

"I know, right?" Jensen replied, slightly in awe.

On first blood - Spencer's, as Cougar split his lip with a well placed blow - Jensen ploughed in and grabbed Cougar's arms, the other guy making a tentative attempt to do the same to Spencer. He was shrugged off casually, and Spencer scrubbed at the blood streaking his chin without taking his eyes off Cougar.

He pointed at Jensen, "This is my replacement?" he demanded, sounding offended. Frankly, as a deserter, Jensen thought that was pretty rich.

Cougar shook his head once. "Roque," He replied simply.

"Ha." Spencer laughed flatly. "Perfect." He shook his head, looking away from Cougar at last. He paced up and down the bar a couple of times before throwing himself into a booth and gesturing at the empty seats opposite him. "At least he enjoys the fucking job." Spencer snarled, and Jensen wondered if Spencer and Roque had history that wasn't in their files.

Cougar eased into the seat, jaw swelling and a bruise already blooming around his eye. He had a huge grin on his face. Masochistic bastard. Jensen slid into the seat next to him and Spencer's friend propped himself against the end of the seat looking uncertain, not quite joining them.  
"Who's this then?" Spencer asked, gesturing at Jensen.

"We lost Loki." Cougar replied enigmatically.

It must have meant something to Spencer though, because Jensen was treated to an instant-replay of every emotion in the guy's repertoire, with guilt making a heavy feature, until he shut down suddenly. "You're a techie?" he demanded of Jensen, glancing over his shoulder to look at his friend. "'The fuck are they feeding y'all at geek school?" 

There was something rough behind the guy's voice, but Jensen wouldn't have thought twice about it if Cougar hadn't added. "Loki wasn't your fault," just as blandly as if he was talking about the weather.

"I know that." Spencer retorted sharply. "I got out of there so I didn't have to keep taking responsibility for all the fucking Losers who kept getting themselves killed." Jensen noted that that didn't take any of the guilt out from behind his eyes. Whether by some unseen signal or just empathy, Spencer's still unnamed friend slid into the seat next to him, moving close enough that Jensen was sure their knees were pressed together under the table. Eliot glanced at him and then back at Cougar. "I didn't do it to leave you guys hanging," he said tiredly.

Jensen snorted at that. "Leaving your team hanging is sleeping late for parade. Deserting is deserting, motherfucker."

Spencer's hands clenched, but he didn't make a move. "I deserved that, I guess." He glanced sideways at his friend, and then reached out and ran his hand across the back of the other man's hand, like he was considering holding it but had wimped out at the last minute. "Thing is... I'm glad it turned out like this," he smiled a quiet smile, shared it with his... not his friend, Jensen corrected himself. His lover. His boyfriend. "It's better this way."

Cougar nodded shortly, added his own smile and took Jensen's hand. Held it tight as if showing Spencer how to do it. "Good," he said.


End file.
